


The Stranger

by magicianparrish



Series: AU Prompts [3]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M, Pickpocket AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-22
Updated: 2015-09-22
Packaged: 2018-04-22 22:21:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4852700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicianparrish/pseuds/magicianparrish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU Prompt: I kissed you to pickpocket you and I almost got away with it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Stranger

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the next part. This is a pickpocket AU that is based on the headcanons of blackjacktheboss on tumblr, who you should definitely check out! Enjoy!

Annabeth remembers the first time she pick-pocketed someone. She was only seven years old, brought into the world of stealing by two older kids named Thalia and Luke. Annabeth during her childhood moved around constantly because of her father. A professor of history, he always seemed to be in demand and whenever he got offered up a job at a new college, he’d accept it and the entire Chase family would move. She originally lived in Richmond, then moved all the way across the country to San Francisco, again to Boston and finally to Manhattan.

Annabeth never felt like she belonged in her family. Because of this, she was seldom at her apartment down in midtown manhattan. And that is how she found Thalia and Luke. The two older kids were friends with this other kid named Hector, but everyone called him Hermes. He was around fourteen or fifteen when Annabeth was introduced to him. He trained kids like her how to pickpocket the people of New York without getting noticed.

She became the protegee of Hermes watching how he did it skillfully and learning how to do it herself. Hermes had taught her how to distinguish people in Manhattan into three categories: the tourists, the people from the Metropolitan area (Long Island and Westchester) who didn’t know how to navigate Manhattan, and the people who lived in Manhattan or one of the boroughs. Annabeth the ever observant one, picked up on this skill quickly surprising even Hermes.

Hermes had taught her how to blend in with the crowds of midtown. Don’t wear anything too flashy or bright, keep a neutral look on your face and weave your way through crowds quickly. Never get held up during a pick-pocket because the get away was the most important part. Those were the rules of thumb taught to her. And Annabeth followed those rules every time she pick-pocketed.

Everyone involved in the little entourage was amazed at Annabeth’s skill. At seven she was small and could squeeze herself into the crowds. She would make up stories to people who could never resist her gray eyes. While she distracted them, she would grab some money from their purses or wallets that were in back pockets because they were easy to reach. She was so good that even Hermes was impressed.  

Annabeth’s family had no idea of her petty crimes though. The Chases were a well known family, a respectable family. Her father being an award winning professor and her step-mother having to fill in to be the perfect housewife and her perfect half-brothers. If they ever found out they’d have a conniption and really kick her out of the family. As far as they knew, she was just hanging out with some friends in Central Park doing what normal kids do.

As the years wore on, all the older kids she had befriended moved on with their lives. They had left the life of the little group to go on to bigger and better things. As they all graduated high school and moved away from Manhattan she never saw them again leaving her a lone wolf. Annabeth was okay with that, they were acquaintances at most. She knew they weren’t solid friends, but sometimes the small ache of them all leaving was still there at night if she thought about it enough. The tricks of the trade she had learned all those years ago still applied to her daily life. But as she grew older and matured as well, she tweaked the rules a little. Now instead of using her childish cuteness the way she used to, she uses her curves and femininity to lure her victims in.

Of course Annabeth wasn’t totally ruthless. She’d usually only go after people she believe wouldn’t mind if they were short a few bucks. And now that she was seventeen, she had to watch out for the cops. They weren’t be merciful if she was caught. But being caught by the cops wasn’t the big fear, it was her parents finding out and having to come bail her out of jail that would be the problem.

Her habit of pick-pocketing has dwindled greatly as she grew up. High school barely gave her any free time on her own and now she was dealing with college applications and hoping that she actually got into them.

Annabeth was a scholar, a straight A student who strived for perfection. She was top of her class, played soccer and ran track during the winter and spring seasons. She was captain of the debate team and part of her school’s Model United Nations. She even got to visit the UN with her club once and she will admit it was the coolest thing that’s ever happened to her. The pick-pocketing was just a side hobby. No one knew what she did for fun outside school. She wore a mask and was a stranger. Everyone knew Annabeth as the insanely smart girl who seemed to be all-american.

It was a nice spring day out and Annabeth had the urge to try and take some money from unsuspecting people. It had been a while since she did her last pick-pocket, but the urge got the best of her and she was trying to scout out her next victim.

The sun was shining bright beating down on her tan skin. She was wearing a simple white tank top and jean shorts. Her curly blonde hair was up in a messy bun with some little strands hanging down because they refused to be put up. She was sitting down on a wooden bench in Central Park when she zeroed in on her next victim.

There was just something about him that screamed “pick-pocket me please!”. Annabeth easily read him as a person who lived here in Manhattan. His body language and confidence that he knew where he was going gave him away. She was trying to figure out why she had quickly spotted him out of the plethora of people in Central Park on this sunny day. Maybe it was the messy mop of black hair or the quick glimpse she got of his startling green eyes that made him stand out. She noticed his eyes went well with the blue flannel he had on and admittedly looked really nice on his body. Annabeth figured it was probably a combination of all of those things.

She quickly stood up and started to tail him without being noticed. In his backpocket she could see his wallet and was waiting for the perfect time to quickly snatch it before he would notice. As he kept walking she slowly inched closer to him closing in on the black haired teenager. Just as she was about to make the grab for his wallet he suddenly turned around and they were face to face.

Being up and close and personal with the black haired stranger Annabeth was startled. She’d never been this close to being caught before. His green eyes were even more stunning this close. They were a swirl of hues of green and some blue mixed in there making for a truly unique eye color. But Annabeth had learned to be quick on her feet and had a sharp mind. So she did the only thing that came to her mind.

She kissed him right on the lips.

The stranger was a really good kisser she realized. His lips tasted like salt and were extremely soft which was surprising. She almost forgot why she was kissing this guy in the first place but quickly got her mind out of the gutter. Annabeth kept kissing him while swiftly taking his wallet out of his back pocket and hiding it in her own. When she finished doing that she broke off the kiss and looked up to his green eyes.

She managed to put on a coy smile. The stranger seemed extremely confused as to what just happened to him. She placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Thanks,” was all Annabeth said before she ran off away from him.

She made sure that she swiftly weaved her way through the crowd away from the black haired teenager. Annabeth took some paths towards other places in Central Park before stopping at a fountain and sitting on the edge of it. She took out the wallet she had just stolen from the guy and went through it. Inside it had his license, school ID, some gift cards, blood donor card and of course cash.

She learned that his name was Percy Jackson, a senior at Goode High, blood type was AB and he had around eighty dollars in cash on him. It was like a jackpot to Annabeth. She wouldn’t take all of his money, but maybe around thirty bucks at most.

“HEY!” A voice screamed.

Annabeth looked up just in time to see someone come running full speed towards her and tackle her into the fountain. The cool water engulfed her and she was pretty sure she swallowed some disgusting public fountain water. When she emerged back up and gasped for air she opened up her eyes to kill whoever it was who drenched her.

“FUCK!” Annabeth screeched loud enough that anyone in a three mile radius could probably hear her.

Annabeth hadn’t gotten a good look at the person who’d tackled her into the fountain yet. Water was still in her eyes and the sun was blaring right down onto her making it hard to see anything but blurry shadows.

“I’m so, so sorry,” a male voice apologized. There was a quick pause before he spoke again.

“Wait, you fucking robbed me! Why am I apologizing?!”

That’s when she realized it was Percy Jackson, the guy she had just stolen his wallet from. She stood up and wiped the water out of her eyes. She quickly looked up at him and pushed him down into the water before breaking out into a sprint and getting the hell out of there.

Annabeth was fast. She played midfield on her varsity soccer team and was a state champ at the hundred meter dash. She could sprint like nobody’s business. To also help her case she was able to maneuver crowds pretty well too. But this Percy kid was just as fast as she was much to her surprise and dismay.

She felt a brute force hit her from behind and she instinctively tucked in and rolled forward a few times before landing flat on her back with Percy on top of her. Both were breathing heavy. People gave them weird looks but didn’t question the two of them laying down on the hot pavement. After a few seconds of heavy breathing he broke the silence.

“What...the fuck...is your...problem?” he asked in between breaths.

Annabeth remained silent just staring at the guy on top of her. And then she broke out into hysterics. She didn’t remember the last time that happened to her and it felt kind of good. This was the first time anyone had caught her in a chase. Not even the NYPD on their little bikes could catch her. So she was impressed. She looked him dead in the eye and quirked a blonde eyebrow up with a little smirk on her face.

“You’re fast,” was all she said.

He just shrugged his shoulders and looked away from her. He ran a hand through his black hair before turning back to her.

“I play basketball. Coach make’s us do a lot of suicides,” he remarked.

She nodded in understanding. “Same with soccer, especially for midfielders like myself. Anyway, sorry bout that. Old habits die hard I guess. Everything’s in there, you can check.”

She was lying to him, he was now thirty bucks short in cash but she had always been the prideful one not willing to admit to everything. She accepted that it was her fatal flaw and embraced it.

He just put the wallet back in his pocket. “It’s fine. I trust you.”

Those three words sent a jolt of electricity through Annabeth. It felt weird having those words directed towards her. It made her question the sanity of Percy Jackson. Why would he trust her, someone who had stolen his wallet and thirty bucks from him? She crossed her arms against her chest.

“You trust me?” she questioned skeptically.

Both were standing up at this point, the pavement burning their skin worse than the sun at this point. He looked down at her with a small smile on his face.

  “Yeah oddly enough. I mean, how could I not after a kiss like that?” he said with a hint of teasing in his voice.

She rolled her eyes and fished out the three tens she had taken out of his wallet. She presented them to him and his green eyes seemed lighter. He took them from her and put it back in his wallet where it belongs.

Something about the way his was smiling at her made Annabeth feel warm and the feeling of butterflies. It was a completely foreign concept to her, but she found that she didn’t mind it too much.

“So,” he began rubbing the back of his neck, “Can I buy you a pretzel with the money you tried to steal from me?”

She gave him a smile that showed her teeth; a smile she reserved only for people she thought deserved it. “I think I’d like that.” 

**Author's Note:**

> There it is. I had fun writing this, even though I did it within like an hour late at night. 
> 
> Send in some AUs that you want! 
> 
> Thanks again guys and gals. Until next time.


End file.
